NSF Act of 1950

SECTION I

NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION ACT OF 1950

FUNCTIONS (42 U.S.C. §1862)

§ 1862. Functions

(a) Initiation and support of studies and programs; scholarships; current register of scientific and engineering personnel

The Foundation is authorized and directed—

(1) to initiate and support basic scientific research and programs to strengthen scientific research potential and science education programs at all levels in the mathematical, physical, medical, biological, social, and other sciences, and to initiate and support research fundamental to the engineering process and programs to strengthen engineering research potential and engineering education programs at all levels in the various fields of engineering, by making contracts or other arrangements (including grants, loans, and other forms of assistance) to support such scientific, engineering, and educational activities and to appraise the impact of research upon industrial development and upon the general welfare;

(2) to award, as provided in section 1869 of this title, scholarships and graduate fellowships for study and research in the sciences or in engineering;

(3) to foster the interchange of scientific and engineering information among scientists and engineers in the United States and foreign countries;

(4) to foster and support the development and use of computer and other scientific and engineering methods and technologies, primarily for research and education in the sciences and engineering;

(5) to evaluate the status and needs of the various sciences and fields of engineering as evidenced by programs, projects, and studies undertaken by agencies of the Federal Government, by individuals, and by public and private research groups, employing by grant or contract such consulting services as it may deem necessary for the purpose of such evaluations; and to take into consideration the results of such evaluations in correlating the research and educational programs undertaken or supported by the Foundation with programs, projects, and studies undertaken by agencies of the Federal Government, by individuals, and by public and private research groups;

(6) to provide a central clearinghouse for the collection, interpretation, and analysis of data on scientific and engineering resources and to provide a source of information for policy formulation by other agencies of the Federal Government;

(7) to initiate and maintain a program for the determination of the total amount of money for scientific and engineering research, including money allocated for the construction of the facilities wherein such research is conducted, received by each educational institution and appropriate nonprofit organization in the United States, by grant, contract, or other arrangement from agencies of the Federal Government, and to report annually thereon to the President and the Congress; and

(8) to take a leading role in fostering and supporting research and education activities to improve the security of networked information systems.

BIENNIAL REPORT (42 U.S.C. §1885d)

§ 1885d. Biennial reports

(a) By January 30, 1982, and biennially thereafter, the Director shall simultaneously transmit a report to the Congress, the Attorney General, the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, the Chairman of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Director of the Office of Personnel Management, the Secretary of Labor, the Secretary of Education, and the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

(b) The report required by subsection (a) of this section shall contain—

1. an accounting and comparison, by sex, race, and ethnic group and by discipline, of the participation of women and men in scientific and engineering positions, including—

   1. the number of individuals in permanent and temporary and in full-time and part-time scientific and engineering positions by appropriate level or similar category;

   2. the average salary of individuals in such scientific and engineering positions;

   3. the number and type of promotional opportunities realized by individuals in such scientific and engineering positions;

   4. the number of individuals serving as principal investigators in federally conducted or federally supported research and development; and

   5. the unemployment rate of individuals seeking scientific and engineering positions;

(2) an assessment, including quantitative and other data, of the proportion of women and minorities studying scientific and engineering fields, including mathematics and computer skills, at all educational levels; and

(3) such other data, analyses, and evaluations as the Director, acting on the advice of the Committee on Equal Opportunities in Science and Engineering, determines appropriate to carry out the Foundation’s functions as well as the policies and programs of sections 1885 to 1885d of this title.